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Topic: Slick Wheelie towing device (Read 1467 times)

Does anyone have one of these towing devices or know someone who does? Its fits on the trailer hitch & you set the front tire in it & tow the motor cycle behind vehicle. And of course the inevitable question can you tow with bike in neutral or do you have to remove the chain? I'm thinking about getting one to take bike on vacation with me.I know your asking why don't you ride it , I'm too old & going too far over 500 miles. Dan

I hauled the RE from Houston to San Antonio with this motorcycled hitch and had no problems. Cheap, well made, and sturdy. Plus you don't have to worry about the bike being in neutral. If you've got a low hitch (minivan, sedan, etc) you'll need to be careful of the clearance. If you've got a higher hitch position (truck), then you're probably not looking for one of these anyways and would just strap it to your bed.

It will drag the Enfield no trouble; it just won't carry the whole weight of the Enfield. It's a small car, and a small trailer hitch. Not sure, but I think that it's got a 200 lb tongue weight limit. That's the max dead weight the hitch is designed to support. My car's towing capacity is 1000 lbs.

I wasn't dissing the trailer idea, it would definitely come in handy for other chores in addition to hauling the bike around. I'm quite comfortable pulling a trailer myself. Hope to pick up a Ural with one someday.

Thanks for feedback guys , I have a email in to CMW to see what they have to say. I'm not wanting a trailer because you have to store it when not in use. I'll have to check and see what my hitch weight limit is , towing it won't be a problem , but supporting the whole bike on it could present a problem.

For awhile I had a crosswise rail bike rack that had about a 500lb capacity & fit into a large hitch receiver. It would swing down on one end to load. I couldn't push the bikes up the slope,so got rid of it. Speaking of steep slopes, a neighbor with a huge 1800cc cruiser bought the cheapest possible, assemble yourself, Harbor Freight Trailor. I told him how hard it would be to load the bike with that high a trailer & heavy bike. soon after both bike & trailer were gone - wonder if he dropped it? I have owned a stand-up KENDON bike trailer for awhile. It has an under slung torsion bar axle, & car wheels. It is no more than 12" off the ground & easy to load. It also folds in the middle & will stand straight up in any garage. It has castors & only takes up about 5' X2'. Hardly know its behind a vehicle when pulled. Check them out on Ebay used, they are REAL nice.

I wasn't dissing the trailer idea, it would definitely come in handy for other chores in addition to hauling the bike around. I'm quite comfortable pulling a trailer myself. Hope to pick up a Ural with one someday.

NP, Desi. No adverse inference taken from your post. We're all friends here. and the more opinions the better IMHO.

Logged

Rather than have a homeless person for the holidays, I decided to stick with ham.

These have been marketed under various names/manufacturers since well before I started riding in the late '60's. Not my first choice. Keep the speed below 50. No matter how well tied down, a big bump can turn it on its side. It is next to impossible to back up. The short turning radius will jackknife way too easily. REMOVE THE CHAIN. A bump can cause it to shift into gear or a jerk at a gas station will pop it into gear or the chain will pop off. I have seen tires and transmissions destroyed like this.

These have been marketed under various names/manufacturers since well before I started riding in the late '60's. Not my first choice. Keep the speed below 50. No matter how well tied down, a big bump can turn it on its side. It is next to impossible to back up. The short turning radius will jackknife way too easily. REMOVE THE CHAIN. A bump can cause it to shift into gear or a jerk at a gas station will pop it into gear or the chain will pop off. I have seen tires and transmissions destroyed like this.

I've seen the front wheel towing systems and it just does not look safe or practical. I guess if I was rescuing myself from a breakdown, it might be handy, but 500 miles, not for me. Thats all day or even two days traveling. I have the HF 4x8 folding trailer and have used it several times with the RE. Added decking, a removable wheel chock and tie downs and its good to go. Very sturdy and folds standing upright against the garage wall. I've also got a small Toyota SUV with a 1000lb tow rating. The tongue weight on the HF with the RE on it is less than 100lbs. Yes, it takes paper work for registration, tags, etc. but I recently made a stack bed fence system using 2x4 posts and 1x4 slats and can now use it for hauling lots of other stuff.

For my big cruiser, I have a tailgate wide ramp system for my Tundra and I load it in the truck bed for long trips. I tow a travel trailer for vacations, as I'm not comfortable with dual/tandem trailer towing.